Shadows Light
by MAS107
Summary: A destiny greater than Shadowpaw understands looms over him and the desire to turn his back on it greater still. The Templars once again work to find another piece of Eden, but Shadowpaw is still wounded by his brother's silence. Desperate to get Shadowpaw out of his stupor, the other Young Assassin's devise a plan to unite the brothers and focus Shadowpaw back on his destiny.
1. Prologue

**~Prologue~**

"I found you!" crowed a small voice. The bush rustled and leaves fell around the small kitten crouching inside. A small black tom poked his head through the branches, his violet eyes glittering with laughter. His younger brother huffed angrily.

"No fair Raven! You always win!" The kitten protested swiping a black tipped paw at the other. Raven laughed and bolted off. The bush shook wildly as his brother exploded out of the shrubbery with leaves sticking to his white fur.

"Catch me if you can Shadow!" Raven taunted over his shoulder. Shadow shoved himself forward. The smaller kitten was determined to catch his older, and larger brother.

Raven looked back and his eyes widened in shock as he saw his brother closing the distance. Though small, Shadow made up for his size with his speed. Raven sped up and as he looked back a second time, Shadow launched himself into the air and landed on his brother. He wrestled him to the ground despite his size due to his brother being caught off guard and they began to play fight. Raven swiped him across the ears nicking him in the process.

Suddenly, the world slowed down and became a blur. Shadow shook his head, but his vision, and teetering mind would not clear. After what seemed like an eternity to the confused young kitten, teeth pricked his scruff and his paws lifted off the ground.

He came to his senses and heard his brother wailing in both fear and pain. Concern for his brother filled his mind and he struggled to get free. The other cats in the Fighting Order were hissing and glaring at him. They were mostly afraid, Shadow could sense it, almost smell it. He could also smell a large amount of blood; his paws were wet with it. Confusion filled his mind again.

He squirmed as the teeth began to hurt him. He was small enough to be picked up, but just large enough to where that didn't last for long. He tried to escape, "What happened? What did I do?!" He wailed. He was set down, and a large gray paw pulled him closer.

He looked up at his light gray mother. Her blue eyes were wide, but they seemed to carry a hint of sadness in them, "it's ok Shadow!" His mother murmured, licking his ear reassuringly.

"Wh-what happened I don't know what happened!" He cried. Raven had stopped crying. He was on his paws and charged over to his brother.

"YOU ATTACKED ME YOU MONSTER! STAY AWAY FROM ME!" He hissed, fury lighting his violet eyes. Shadow was shocked. Blood dripped from a cut over Raven's eye his right ear was slightly torn and his shoulder looked to be the worst off. His shoulder was torn, more like shredded. Shadow's mouth hung open and then he shut it with a snap. His brother hissed in anger and limped off as fast as he could. He disappeared into the Medicine Cat's cave.

"Momma I-I didn't-" He began glancing wildly around at all the unfriendly faces.

"Shhh, I know you didn't little one," his mother murmured. Cats were dispersing now, and several hissed and sent him glares.

"Just like his father, Moon, we told you this would happen," a mottled brown tom said his green eyes filled with hate. Shadow pressed into his mother, still in shock.

"Shove off Thorn!" His mother snarled raising a paw and causing the young tom to skimp off. She picked Shadow up by his scruff and carried him outside of camp. Moon sat him down and sighed.

"Momma?" Shadow mewed, his voice sounded small and soft to him.

She stared off into the distance, a thoughtful and pensive look on her face, "well," she glanced around and then crouched down to his level, "we have a lot to discuss," she said her eyes steadily on his, "I wish I didn't have to do this so soon," she said looking at her sons trembling frame.

"Momma I didn't m-" he started to exclaim.

"I know," Moon interrupted, "I must talk to you about your father," she said.

"Dusk?" Shadow said tilting his head in confusion.

"Yes." Moon paused and then gave her son a reassuring smile, "your father is a part of a Order-"

"I thought that he was a part of our Order?"

"Well, sort of...but not entirely. It's not structured like ours, but it's a large group of cats that work like our order would. Your father is a part of this group. They come from different orders around the forest, so they don't follow border rules, or much of the order's rules at all. They have their own sort of 'code'. They don't actually believe in the Ancestor though, which was… and is the most surprising part to me," she said, "well, this group…they…kill another group of cats who are evil and are trying to take control of all the orders," she said. Shadow looked startled, but mostly curious.

"What does this have to do with my brother?" He asked.

"Well, this Order is called, 'The Order of the Assassins,' and they pass their skills down to their kits," she said slowly. Horror filled Shadow's face.

"A-And what are these skills?" He stammered feeling his world sway a little.

"Well, when in a fight, their instinct takes over and they can deal deadly damage… _if_ they aren't trained," Moon said sympathy filling her voice. Shadow's eyes filled with tears.

"I-I almost killed my brother?!" He said his voice became high pitched and he was shaking. He could not believe what he'd done his brother hated him now and it was all because of this stupid Order.

"Yes…but you can be _trained_!" His mother said quickly as the kitten bristled in horror. Shadow burst into tears and ran off.


	2. Chapter 1

He ignored his mother's desperate calls and burst into camp and hid in a bush. He didn't want this! He didn't want to hurt anyone, especially his brother! He just wanted to be normal! Why couldn't he be normal?

He heard his mother stop in front of the bush and then, to his surprise, she left. He waited a few more minutes and then sighed heavily and laid his head on his paws. 

* * *

The sun shone through the leaves making him drowsy. His eyes drooped as he realized how tired he was. He began to nod off.

"Shadow!" Called a distant voice. He jumped to his paws and his head struck the branches throughout the bush. His father purred with laughter and helped him out of the bush. Shadow glanced around and was shocked that he had slept until it was nighttime. He looked back at his father and gave him a tentative smile. He hoped he wasn't in trouble.

Shadow's father, Dusk, was a big black tom cat with reddish brown markings on his face, ears, tail, and paws. He also had an unusual mark on his shoulder. It seemed to be burned in. Shadow stared at it. For the first time, he wondered if it had anything to do with the Assassin's order. Dusk smiled and then looked towards the camp entrance, his eyes narrowed in a thoughtful way.

"Son, let's go for a walk," he said. Shadow look out into the dark woods and shuddered. He looked back to see his father smiling at him. At least he knew he wasn't in trouble. He followed his father outside and clambered over the large rocks that lay a few fox lengths away from the entrance to the camp.

Suddenly his father took off full stride. Shadow sped off after him glad to get his mind off earlier events. He tried his best to chase his father and then when his father slowed down Shadow leaped at him and they tussled on the ground trying to pin each other down. Once again Shadow's world slowed down and became a blur, "Shadow, sheath your claws," a voice whom he distantly recognized as his father's echoed in his mind.

His body followed his father's command, "Good, I need you to trust me for this to work," Dusk said. Shadow was still in the blurred slowed down state but he seemed to be more aware of himself this time, he nodded of his own free will, "Can you sense my body?" Dusk asked and Shadow nodded, "ok, leap at me _claws sheathed_ ," he said and Shadow obeyed.

He flew through the air but Dusk side stepped and easily batted him away. Frustrated he hissed and was about to leap at his father again, "easy," Shadow's father said and he felt himself relax.

"Well done, now, concentrate on your hearing," he did and he could hear the rabbits hopping in their burrows underneath him and an owl in the distance, "now relax," finally Shadow could see. His father only had a few cuts on his shoulder.

"Good!" He purred. Shadow flexed his claws, "right, lunge at me again, but this time try to trick me," his father instructed. He lunged at Dusk and then as his father stepped aside he flicked his paw out and hooked his father's leg and tripped him.

His father slid and landed, busting his chin, Shadow looked at his father in shock, "I'm fine," Dusk said stubbornly. Suddenly Dusk lunged at Shadow his claws were out and glinting in the moonlight. Instinct kicked in and Shadow flew straight up, knocking his father out of the air, "alright, relax again," he said. Shadow relaxed letting his vision blur and then he felt his world speed up and return to normal.

"I hurt you!" He exclaimed nosing his father's chest. He felt a rough tongue scrap his head.

"It's alright, you did well!" Dusk said, his amber eyes glittering with pride, "now, you must practice with me like this so you will be ready for your training," his father said.

So, for the next two moons Shadow worked hard to get control of this new skill that he learned was called 'Eagle flight,'.

One morning he trotted into camp after a brief session with his father. His fur was sleeker and he had grown to half his father's height. With his chin lifted high he greeted his mother and then went confidently into the Medicine Cat's cave. His brother lay on a moss bed near the back. Letting his eyes adjust he strode forward, "Don't get near me monster!" Raven snarled. His fur was sleeker too, but more unkempt than his younger brother's fur.

"Listen, I trained with father and-"

"I don't want to see you! Don't you _get_ it? I _hate_ you!" His brother snarled. His violet eyes blazed with fury. He was on paws and nose to nose with Shadow now, "Like I said before…GO _AWAY_ ," he snarled and Shadow felt a paw slam into his cheek and claws rip at his fur. He spun away and landed heavy. His world blurred and he felt himself start to run towards his brother.

" _No, stop Shadow!_ " He heard his mind say and he halted in his stride. Concentrating on relaxing he returned to normal. His brother cowered at his paws, but he hadn't been harmed.

"As I was saying before you interrupted me, father trained me, and I am no longer going to hurt you," Shadow said flatly. He turned tail and walked out of the medicine cat's cave. Lark, the Fighting Order's Medicine Cat, brushed past him and then stopped.

"Shadow, wait! What happened?!" She said examining his cheek. She put cobweb on the wound after she licked it clean, "the kind of trouble you get yourself in!" She fussed.

"I'm sorry…I cut myself on the thorns coming in…" he lied.

"Uh, these look like claw marks!"

"Oh cool, how random is that?" He strained. Raven watched him with angry wide eyes.

"Alright…" Lark said her brown eyes sparkling with laughter. Shadow felt his pelt grow hot and he quickly exited and went to go find his mother. Moon was eating at bird brought in recently by the Hunting Order, and Shadow trotted over and greeted her.

"How'd it—I take it not so well," Moon sighed seeing the claw marks.

"Yeah, he's just paranoid," Shadow muttered.

"I thought it was thorns?" said a voice. Shadow whirled on his paws and saw Lark's white frame.

"Eh heh, yeah, I…" Shadow fought to get the words out of his mouth. Lark laughed and grinned at him.

"Your brother won't get in trouble. I'll get through to him, I promise," Lark said licking Shadow on his cheek.


End file.
